Galli, Caterina

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Galli, Caterina

Galli, Caterina, Italian mezzo-soprano; b. c. 1723;d. Chelsea, 1804. She went to London and sang for the first time at the King’s Theatre in 1742. She then became a favorite of Handel, who engaged her to sing in his oratorios (1747–54) and for whom he wrote several parts. About 1754 she left England to pursue her career in Genoa, Naples, Venice, and Mantua. In 1773 she returned to England and sang in opera, oratorios, and concerts until 1797.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire